Killing of MQM three workers is a matter to ponder upon: Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui

Posted on: 6/6/2013 1

Terming Tuesday’s killing of Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s three sympathizers at the hands of terrorists in Malir `a matter to ponder upon’, the party’s Coordination Committee’s Deputy Coordinator, Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said that whereabouts of its nine workers who went missing after their arrest by law-enforcement agencies was still not known and whether they were alive or dead.
Dr Siddiqui accompanied with the Coordination Committee’s deputy Convener Engineer Nasir Jamal and Members Haider Abbas Rizvi, Amin-ul-Haq and Ahmed Saleem Siddiqui, was speaking at an impromptu news conference at Khursheed Begum Secretariat, Azizabad.
He expressed gratitude to businessmen, industrialists, shopkeepers, transporters and other people belonging to different walks of life for observing a peaceful `day of mourning’ to protest over the unlawful arrest of the party workers, their torturing after their arrest by law-enforcement agencies, extra-judicial killing and increasing incidents of kidnapping traders and industrialists for ransom and extortion. He said that it was on the call of MQM that a peaceful day of mourning was observed in entire Sindh and in other parts of the country including Punjab, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Kashmir.
Stressing the need for taking notice of Sindh government’s act of patronizing terrorists, he demanded immediate arrest of the culprits involved in killing of MQM workers and supporters, giving them exemplary punishment.
Reiterating that the MQM was opposed to Sindh’s division from the day one, Dr Siddiqui said that the party never wanted division of the province in any condition.
Accusing Sindh’s top leadership of turning Lyari into criminal elements’ center, he said that under such circumstance Karachiites have been compelled that themselves should measures for their safety.
He said that thought the Quaid’s city was punished in the past when the MQM was in opposition benches, Muttahida by still seating on the opposition benches would leave no stone unturned for the progress and prosperity of Sindh and its people.
The MQM leaders said that a new wave of killings, kidnapping for ransom and issuance of extortion slips was being witnessed in the city under a conspiracy and it was astonishing to note that Sindh’s new democratically elected government shortly after taking reign of the government preferred to visit terrorists, instead of visiting Quaid’s mausoleum and thus gave a clear message to the terrorists that they should continue their criminal activities and the government was at their back.
Referring to Wednesday’s grenade attack on the MQM’s North Nazimabad Sector Office, he said that though no one injured in the incident, citizen of the city in the wake of Sindh government’s patronage to People’s Amn Committee’s terrorists have no option but to take measures for their safety.
At the outset, Dr Siddiqui demanded of Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and the newly-elected premier Mian Nawaz Sharif to take immediate notice of MQM’s miising workers and help save their lives.
Earlier, he said that it was surprising to note why all those religious and political parties which had been claim their representation in Karachi and had been staging sit-in for verification of voters lists and new electoral limits were playing role f silent spectators when atrocities were being committed against industrialists, businessmen and other law-abiding and innocent citizens of the metropolis.
Replying to a question, Dr Siddiqui said that it was PPP’s claim that Lyari was its stronghold but after patronizing outlawed PAC had turned Lyari into a center of criminals.